Swimming and life-saving device



Dec. 27, 1927.

C. J. M DONALD SWIMMING AND LIFE SAVING DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1926 gnmntom 3W MMWHAAMU TTT Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNI-TED STATE v CHARLES J. MCDONALD, or CLEVELAND, onio:

swimmers Am: LIFE-SAVING DEVICE.

Application filed February 26, 1926. Serial No. $0,742.

This invention relates to an aid for swim- Iners which may be also used effectively as a life saving device. The essential object is to provide a very simple aid which may be a; easily put on and adjusted and which will not hinder the movements of the swimmer.

Another object is to providea device of this character wherein individuall inflatable buoyant elements are arrange" in sections and placed at intervals longitudinally of the wearer to provide for longitudinal balance. A further object is to provide a simplified form of device for holding pneumatic bags onabelt whereby such bags may be easily and quickly put into place and secured and which device will be effectively concealed when in use. Further objects include the provision of a life saving and swimming device which may be easily adjusted. to a number of positions on the body of the wearer and which will be securely held in such adjusted positions. Moreover it is an object to provide device which may be simply manufactured in a small-number of sizes for a great range of sizes of persons.

1 have found that a great number of life saving and swimming devices are a great detriment to the necessary mobility of the swimmers body members. F orillustration, 30 a great number of belts, or so called buoys,

are so arranged that thearms of the swimmer are held away from his body and there fore prevent the fullswimming stroke. Another disadvantage of belts of this character commonly used in that the pneumatiomeans extends about the neck and prevents the head and shoulders from lying low enough; in the water so that forward propulsion ofthe body may be easily accomplished. By my invention I have eliminated these disadvantages. In order that the swimmer may wear his swimming aid when diving, the aid must not present abrupt forwardly disposed surfaces such as would prevent the swimmer from easily entering the water, and-further such a device must be capable of beingvery securely fastened to the body. My arrangement'meets the above requirements and has certain other advantages not common to the usual devices of this character, as will be apparent from the following detailed description which relates to the accompanying drawing. The essentialcharacteristics will be summarized in the claims. i

In the drawing- Figure l isa front elevation of my preferred form'of swimming aid with the securing members shown in the position which they engage on the wearer;

Figure 2 is a cross sectiom as indicated on] the line 22 in Figure 1; Figure 0 is a fragmentary view shox'ving the closure ofone dicating the various parts by suitable char acters l is the body portion which preferably consists of a single piece of material; such as canvas or duck arranged to eiiten'd along the torso of the wearer as shown in Figure 1. This body portion may be hemmed at its edges," the folded over ina'iwginal, portion being adjacent the wearer; as indicated at 2 in Figure 8. The means for securing this body portion to the torso indicated at Bin Figurej1, comprisesin part, a neck strap 5 secured as at 6 between the body member 1 and the edge of the upper pocket 9, to be later described. The strap 'is arranged to extend back of the neck and be secured to means such as the ring 7 or to a buckle if desired. The ring as shown in Figure 1 attached to a short tab or 10015 of material 8', preferably secured in'thefl same manner as the strap 5. The lower straps 11 are arrangedin pairs, preferably fastened to the body portionb'eneath the lower margin of the lower pocket 10, andeach adapted to extend between the legs of the wearer as at 11, wri-i 'iping' about the hips as at 11, and to be secured, as shown, in rings 7; The rings maybe cai'ried by loops or tab's'8 as before.

-The advantage of using rings instead of buckles lies in that when the straps'arewet they tend to twist or become tubular and for this reason buckles. have been found somewhatunsatisfactory, by reason .of-nece'ssitating flattening out thestraps before inserting them into such buckles. It will be readily understood that in-the use of rings any sort of knot may be. used "as even the most simple knot will become moresecure when the material is .wet. V v

The pockets 9 and lO'are preferably ellipsoidal patches with their edges folded under and sewedto the bodyportion l'as' shown. The stitching, however sto'ps as at' 12 in Figure 3 to provide afree' flap '15 to allow the insertion of the buoyant element. The flap 15 has its edge folded inwardly the same as the remaining portion of, the patch but here the inturned edge is stitched to the patch as at 16, to form a tube. Threaded Within this tube, through slits 17, is shown a securing member 18, the free ends of which are adapted to extend through eyelets 19 in the body portion. These eyelets sul stantially underlie the slits 17 when the flap is closed. When the member 1 is secured to the torso the free ends are concealed and may be tied as at 20 in Figure 5, or the clinging of the wet material to the torso may be depended upon to hold the'free ends of the member from pulling out, in which case they would not be tied. at all. To provide reinforcement for the eyelets 19 I prefer to stitch a patch as at 21 on the reverse side of the body portion, the eyelets being reinforced by stitching as at 22.

My buoyant element comprises an inflatable bag preferably of the torm shown. The bag is generously rounded at at and 25 and when placed in the pockets these rounded portions are oppositely disposed, such an. arrangment being found to produce a more symmetrical appearance when the bags are inflated. By providing the pocket closures at opposite sides, as shown, there is an advantage in appearance and an additional advantage in that the valves may be adjacent the closures and at the same time on opposite sides of the wearer, giving the swimmer a 1 certain assurance or feeling of being balanced properly.

It will be seen that I have provided a swimming aid'and life saving device which may be very easily and cheaply made; that will very easily carried about and taken care of, by reason of its compactness; which will be quickly and securely adjusted on the person of the user and which will not hinder his movements'when swimming. By reason of the particular arrangement of the pockets for the bags and by reason of both of the bags being inflatable individually, one may contain less air than the other and thus buoy up that portion of the body which the individual swimmer finds needs it most. It the beginner has for instance mastered. the use of his arms for swimming, air in the upper bag may be almost entirely released. Moreover,'it will be seen that my arrangement of: securing straps will cause no discomfort to the swimmer and a high degree of flexibility of use may be had by lengthening out the neck strap and shortening the leg straps, and vice versa, as required.

The utility of my arrangement as a life saving device has been demonstrated and found to meet every requirement. By reason of being light, compact and cheap it may be furnished for any occasion where an element of danger to life by drowning exists,

and when an emergency arises the speed with which it may be made ready and applied to the person is marked. By my unique arrangement of securing straps the device may be stored or carried about with the straps in secured position but somewhat loose, and when needed it may be simply slipped on and the straps further adjusted afterward. The bags may be inflated either before or after entering the water. I make no especial point of ease of inflation in this application for a valve which will permit this and whi 11 will at the same time mechanically close to retain air for an indefinite period. This constitutes the subject matter of a separate copendiug application.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a body portion arranged to be positioned in front of the torso, a pair of pocket members secured to and extending laterally oi the body portion, one open at the right and one open at the left, and individually inflatable pneumatic bags carried by such pockets, each of the bags having a valve member in the neck thereof, arranged to be accessible "to inflate the respective bag without removing the bag from its pocket.

2. In a swimming and life saving device, in combination, a body portion of fabric material, a pair of ellipsoidal patches of similar material secured at their marginal edges to' the body portion, one above the other, each providing a pocket for an inflatable'bag, the ellipsoids having their major axes transversely of the body of the user, and strap members secured to the body portion for securing the device to the torso of the user.

3. In adevice of the character described, a body portion of "fabric material, longitudinally extending patches providing pockets secured to the body portion, one pocket being open at the right and one at the left of the torso of the user, and means including adjustable straps secured at their ends between the said patches and body portion, a pair of such straps being provided for the legs and one for the neck of the user.

4. In a device of the character described, a body portion of fabric n'laterial, a pair of longitudinally extending patches providing pockets secured to the body portion, one above the other, each arranged to contain a buoyant member, means including'straps secured to the body portion for securing the device to the torso of the user, and ring members attached to said body portion arranged to cooperate with the straps whereby the device may be easily and quickly adjusted.

5. In a swimming and life saving device, in combination, a body portion of fabric material, pockets for inflatable members formed by elongated patches securedat their edges ing member threaded into such tubular edge, the free ends of the flexible member being arranged to extend through openings in the body portion to secure the flap in closed p0-' v sition on the reverse side of said body por-' tion.

6. In a swimming and life saving device, in combination, a body portion of fabric material, a pocket for an inflatable member formed by a patch secured at its edges to the body portion, said patch having a flap, and the flap having a tubular marginal edge, apertures in said edge and a flexible securing member threaded into such apertures, said body portion having openings therethrough substantially in registration with the said apertures whereby the flap may be secured in closed position by means of the free ends of the securing member and whereby said free ends are normally concealed.

7. In a device of the character described,

a fabric body portion, a fabric patch stitched thereto to form a pocket, a portion of the patch being free to form an aperture to the pocket, a buoyant member carried Within the pocket and insertable through the aperture, a hem on the flap and a flexible securing member threaded into said hem for a short distance and centrally of the flap, openings in the body portion for receiving the free ends of the securing member and a reinforcing patch surrounding said openings and stitched to the body portion the said free ends being arranged to secure the flap in closed position and to be concealed when the device. is in use.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

CHARLES J. MCDONALD. 

